KPBS News Truck Expands Capabilities

State-of-the-art truck and equipment means more live community reporting

KPBS news truck will provides the station with the capability for on-the-scene coverage of important news events and will enable remote production of its signature programs KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition.

SAN DIEGO  KPBS now has a live production truck in its tool kit for covering local news. The vehicle is in service just in time for the busy summer and fall seasons and planned coverage of the California primary. The truck has been customized with state-of the-art broadcast and editing equipment, allowing KPBS journalists and videographers to produce live reports in the community when news events demand. The truck will also help KPBS increase its coverage area outside of San Diego County when stories or events require.

Photo by Audrey Dempsey/Infinity Photo

KPBS news truck features state-of-the-art broadcast and editing equipment. The truck will provide the KPBS news team to produce original content from the field when news events demand.

“San Diego needs and deserves a source of trusted, reliable, and accurate news,” said KPBS General Manager Tom Karlo. “KPBS is now more prepared than ever to respond to those needs with an investment in a state-of-the-art live truck, thanks to support from a generous team of contributors.”

The station was able to invest in the live truck thanks to several generous contributors including Jocelyn Bauer, Don Epstein, Steve and Sue Hart, Inspiration Fund at The San Diego Foundation, Dr. Robert J. Kilian and Dr. Kathleen M. Slayton, Las Patronas, Lynn Family Fund at The San Diego Foundation, Mary Matava, Timmstrom Family Fund of the Ayco Charitable Foundation, Arlene Tuttle, ViaSat, Harold Zimnick, and Anonymous. The KPBS has partnered with San Diego-based ViaSat, a global broadband services and technology company, on the project which has donated equipment and satellite time.

Rick Baldridge, president at ViaSat commented, “KPBS news is recognized for providing trustworthy, in-depth information. We are pleased to offer our support and provide our broadband communications technology and service to enable the KPBS news crews the ability to capture and deliver more breaking and enriched content from the field.”

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, June 7, the truck will be deployed for the first time as part of KPBS’ planned coverage of the California primary. At 5 p.m., KPBS Evening Edition will go live from Golden Hall. At 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., two additional programs will also be broadcast live from the Hall on KPBS radio and television. Hosted by KPBS Reporter Amita Sharma, the election specials will provide results, analysis, and commentary on the races and ballot measures. KPBS news reporters will provide additional updates from the Republican and Democratic headquarters and from the floor of Golden Hall. KPBS.org will have all the election news, reports, and updates throughout the night.

The truck will give the station capabilities for on-the-scene coverage of future election activities and of a possibly busy wildfire season, to name just two important topics. The truck will also enable remote production of its signature programs KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition.

The live truck is expected to transform KPBS’ news operations, making the public media organization more timely and relevant than ever.

KPBS encourages its fans to take pictures of the new live truck when it is spotted in the community and post on social media pages Facebook and Twitter via the hashtag #kpbslive.

About KPBS:

KPBS is a public service of San Diego State University, serving over 1 million audience members weekly across TV, radio (89.5 FM and 97.7 FM Calexico) and the web with content that is educational as well as entertaining—and free of commercial interruption.